Improvement



THOMAS HILL, OF VALLEJO, CALllORNIA.

iMPRovEMEN-ris meteorites.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 117,172, dated July 18,1871.

To all whom tt may concern:

Be it known that l, THOMAS HILL, of Vallejo, county of Solano, State ofCalifornia, have in .vented an Improvement in lroiectile's; and l dohereby declare thev followimgI description and accompanying` draivingIare sul'iicient to enable any person skilled in the art or science towhich it most nearly appertains to make and use my said inventioi i -orimprovement without further invention or experiment. i

The object ofmy invention is to provide an improvement in that class oi'projectiles which is .nnployed in gunning; anditrelatcs moreparticularly to the construction oi' shells, the manner oiclmrging, andthe devices for' exploding,r the same. lhe projectile consistsoltwo ormore con.- centric shells, one within the other, so arranged that oneshall contain the bursting;I charge, while, the other one. is `loadedwith balls or scraps ot' metal. li' a third one is employed, it isplaced the iuneriiiost ot' all, and serves to contain a small vial ofliquid tire or other igniter which will be broken by the concussion whenthe shell strikes, and 'thus ignite the charge through small openings,as shown. 'ln'bes may be arranged to extend through the shell `irom sideto side, in two or three diliercnt directions, and a smalli'uluiinatingshell is placed 'in' each, having a spring' and needle soplaced that, when thc'shell strikes, one or other oi' the dil'icrentfulminates shall be. exploded bythe concussion and ignite the charge.

This latter device is also amilicable to conical' shells.

I tcferrinig to the accompanying' Q lrawingg,` i'or a, more completeexplanation of my invention, A, B, and (l are threeeoneeni'rieshells,cast oi' suitable thickness, proportioned tothe size,audsuported and stayed. by braces, `which may be introduced when theshell is molded. An opening' is nnule-directly into the outer shell. Ashort tulsa/1, opens into the shell il, and a tube, c, com llccts theinner shell (l with the outside.. These ltubes and tubes (I, to behereafter described, may be so introduced as lo serve as braces insteadoli' rods. lhe shell l is ehaii'ged' -with the powder necessary toexplode it. The outer shell A may be lilled with balls, serapiron, orother missiles,

and the inner shell (l is leit empty, buthas small holes cmadeforconnuuuication with the shell l.

ln order toexplode this projectile, l employ one orboth of two devices,which l willnovinleA scribe: f is a small bottle, of zine, glass, or anysubstance which. will move about ordinarily with safety, but which canbe broken by violent concussion. This bottle' is illed with Vliquid fireor other inflammable substance and corlccd ti ghtly. The bottle fis thenmade tast by a string to the end oi a wooden plug, g, which is iiattenedat the sides to admit air, and which tits tightly in the pipe c. Intothis pipe it is placed so that the bottle is suspended Within. the.inner shell U. The bottle is released by the llame of the discharge,which burns the string and it is sut'ered to roll loosely within theshell. When the ,projectile strikes any objeizt-after being dischargedtheconeussionwill break the 'bottle or force the corllA` out bycompression-'and the bursting` charge in the chamber l5 will beLnitedthrough theslnall 'holes 0. A hole, a., is made through the plug y, sothat, if desired,'an ordinary time-fuse' may be used.

llo secure a greater certainty' of explosion lmakethe projectile withtwo or, three or more tubes, d, passing entirely through the chambersA-and B outside oi' the inner one C, and in different directions, sothat in whatever positionthe shell strikes some one ol the tubes willstand with its axis in the direction of' the line of motion. Within eachof the tubes d l place a small fnlmiiratingslrell, h, which will slideeasily from end to end. To one end ol this shell is aiiixed aspring, i,and a small weight, m, is l'astened to tlie outer end' ot' 'the spring'.A needle ortiring-linnn., extends from the weight so as to touch ornearly touch the shell l1., and when the projectile strike` anobjectlthe device inst described will slide t'fn'e-ibly to one end ol" itstube and the spring fi will be compressed enough to allow the -pin n. topierce the shell It, and thus lire the bursting,I chargein the largeshell .li through the holes'o. All of' the tubes b, o, and (l are closedfrom the outside by suitable ,wooden plugs, as shown.

lllither one or both ol'the devices descrilnalinay be employed ineo'neentric shells, and jtheone last described may be used in elongatedprojectiles. l/Vhcn the latter only is employed in, crnnzentric shellsthe inner chamber may be dispensed with, it' desired.

l am asv-are that bottles lutv'e'heen inclosed within projectiles and soarranged as to bc Abroken by the explosion olf some luhninate; hence l.do not claim, broadly, the use oi bottles inclosed in projectiles; but

Vhat l claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, 1s-

1. The bottle j; containing the igniting-iinid,`

-ehambers 'A and B and outside of the innei one 0, and touching theouter surface of the proj eet-ile at various points, so that, inwhatever position the shell strikes, some one ofthe tubes will standwith its line nearly in the direction of the line of motion,substantially as set forth.

I'n witness that the above-described invention is claimed.- by me I'hzwehereunto set my hand and seal. A

GEO. H. STRONG,' CHARLIE BROWN.

